Twenty common foods that can be
incorporated into your daily diet are:
1 ounce of blueberries; 2 ounces of
raspberries, strawberries or blackberries; 1
apple or orange; ½ of a pear; 2.5 ounces
of cherries or juice; 7 walnut halves; 8
pecan halves; 10 ounces of pistachio nuts;
3½ ounces of cooked lentils; 5½ ounces
of cooked kidney beans; an eighth of an
avocado; 5 ounces red cabbage; 7 ounces
of broccoli; 8 asparagus spears; ½ grapefruit,
½ of a plum; an eighth teaspoon cinnamon;
½ of a teaspoon of oregano, ½ teaspoon
ground turmeric; and last but certainly not
least, 5 fl uid ounces of red wine and four
ounces of dark chocolate with at least 70
percent cocoa solids. Selecting a minimum
of three of these daily will insure that you hit
your anti-aging target of 6,000 ORACs.
The fl ip side of the antioxidant equation
is reducing exposure to oxidants; in other
words the “burned” oxygen. Generating the
necessary cooking heat in order to produce
crisping, grilling, roasting, smoking, and
barbecuing of meats until they are browned
and crispy are all examples of oxidants.
As deep-fried foods must undergo the
highest heating temperatures. Caramelizing,
which is the process of burning sugar, is
also oxidizing. Poaching, steam frying and
preparing raw dishes are the best ways to
reduce your oxidant exposure.
TOP 10 ORAC
SCORED FOODS
Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) is a laboratory analysis
that provides an overall measure of a food’s antioxidant activity. ... The
higher the ORAC score, the greater is the food’s antioxidant capacity.
40 GASPARILLA MAGAZINE • July/August • 2021